Do regions matter in ALICE?: Social relationships and data exchanges in the Grid

This study aims at investigating the impact of regional affiliations of centres on the organisation of collaborations within the Distributed Computing ALICE infrastructure, based on social networks methods. A self-administered questionnaire was sent to all centre managers about support, email interactions and wished collaborations in the infrastructure. Several additional measures, stemming from technical observations were collected, such as bandwidth, data transfers and Internet Round Trip Time (RTT) were also included. Information for 50 centres were considered (about 70% response rate). Empirical analysis shows that despite the centralisation on CERN, the network is highly organised by regions. The results are discussed in the light of policy and efficiency issue

Quality of Life of Adults with Pervasive Developmental Disorders and Intellectual Disabilities

The purpose of this study was to observe quality of life (QoL) and global evolution of persons with Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) in three different groups. Individualized programs for PDD were compared to traditional programs for intellectual disabilities. Behavioural disorders were repeatedly evaluated using the Aberrant Behaviour Checklist (ABC) and QoL once a year. Little research has investigated this domain due to methodological problems with a non-verbal population. Two preliminary studies of individualized programs showed a significant reduction in behaviour disorders over the course of the study. The recent inclusion of a control group indicates that a traditional program reduces lethargy/social withdrawal (ABC factor 2). A good QoL was measured for the three group

Quantum information, oscillations and the psyche

In this paper, taking the theory of quantum information as a model, we consider the human unconscious, pre-consciousness and consciousness as sets of quantum bits (qubits). We view how there can be communication between these various qubit sets. In doing this we are inspired by the theory of nuclear magnetic resonance. In this way we build a model of handling a mental qubit with the help of pulses of a mental field. Starting with an elementary interaction between two qubits we build two-qubit quantum logic gates that allow information to be transferred from one qubit to the other. In this manner we build a quantum process that permits consciousness to ``read{''} the unconscious and vice versa. The elementary interaction, e.g. between a pre-consciousness qubit and a consciousness one, allows us to predict the time evolution of the pre-consciousness + consciousness system in which pre-consciousness and consciousness are quantum entangled. This time evolution exhibits Rabi oscillations that we name mental Rabi oscillations. This time evolution shows how for example the unconscious can influence consciousness. In a process like mourning the influence of the unconscious on consciousness, as the influence of consciousness on the unconscious, are in agreement with what is observed in psychiatry

Do regions matter in ALICE?:Social relationships and data exchanges in the Grid

This study aims at investigating the impact of regional affiliations of centres on the organisation of collaborations within the Distributed Computing ALICE infrastructure, based on social networks methods. A self-administered questionnaire was sent to all centre managers about support, email interactions and wished collaborations in the infrastructure. Several additional measures, stemming from technical observations were collected, such as bandwidth, data transfers and Internet Round Trip Time (RTT) were also included. Information for 50 centres were considered (about 70% response rate). Empirical analysis shows that despite the centralisation on CERN, the network is highly organised by regions. The results are discussed in the light of policy and efficiency issues

The segmented Campo Felice normal faults. Seismic potential appraisal by application of empirical relationships between rupture length and earthquake magnitude in the central Apennines, Italy

During earthquakes, fault rupture can involve multiple segments in synchronous or cascade mechanisms, leading to an increasing magnitude of the mainshock or rate of aftershocks. Since the seismogenic portions of faults are inaccessible, studying the geometrical and mechanical interaction between exhumed fault segments can contribute to the understanding of multisegment and cascade earthquake scenarios at depth. We investigated a segmented active normal fault system in the Campo Felice area (central Italian Apennines), where fault scarps are well exposed. In this area, there are no instrumental-historical records of intermediate-strong earthquakes, although paleoseismology provided evidence for ancient Mw > 5 earthquakes. Geometry and kinematics of the studied faults as well as their physical linkage and mechanical interaction were assessed. Results of field surveys and geological-structural mapping, serial cross-sections, and throw versus distance diagrams highlight different stages of mechanical interaction between the Campo Felice faults. The suitability of three empirical equations relating earthquake rupture length and magnitude was tested in comparison to a new equation that we developed considering the last seven Mw > 5.5 earthquakes (1997–2016) from the central Apennines. Results show that the Campo Felice faults can produce earthquakes with maximum Mw of ∼5.8 and 6.2 with single or synchronous ruptures, respectively. In turn, Coulomb stress change modeling shows that the seismic hazard can increase considering a quasi-synchronous or cascade activation of the Campo Felice faults together with nearby faults

How central and connected am I in my family? Family-based social capital of individuals with intellectual disability

Using social network methods, this article explores the ways in which individuals with intellectual disability (ID) perceive their family contexts and the social capital that they provide. Based on a subsample of 24 individuals with ID, a subsample of 24 individuals with ID and psychiatric disorders, and a control sample of 24 pre-graduate and postgraduate students matched to the clinical respondents for age and sex, we found that family networks of clinical individuals are distinct both in terms of composition and in terms of social capital made available to them by their family ties. Individuals with ID perceive themselves as less central in their own family; their family networks are perceived as less dense, less centralized, and more disconnected. Individuals with intellectual disabilities and psychiatric disorders have less family-based social capital than individuals with intellectual disabilities only. The composition of their family is also distinct as spouses or partners and children are missing. We discuss the importance of those findings for research on family relationships of individuals with ID